Tulane Distinguished Lecture in Economics - James Poterba - President of NBER & MIT Professor

Please join the Department of Economics and The Murphy Institute for our annual Tulane Distinguished Lecture in Economics featuring Dr. James Poterba.

Dr. Poterba is a Mitsu Professor of Economics at MIT and President of the National Bureau of Economic Research. His talk is titled "Debt, Deficits, and Sustainability: The US Fiscal Challenge" - Federal debt as a share of GDP has increased from about 35% to 95% in the last two decades, with the largest increases occurring during the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal budget deficit was 6.4% of GDP in 2024, and it is projected to grow as the US population ages and a larger share of the population draws Social Security benefits and qualifies for Medicare and Medicaid. What are the economic effects of high and rising deficits, and the debt they create? Is current fiscal policy on a sustainable path, and if it isn't, what sort of policy actions could get it there?